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AP Government Ch 2 Vocabulary
from the textbook American Government by Wilson and DiIulio
43
History
12th Grade
09/04/2012

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Term
Constitution
Definition
A set of principles, either written or unwritten, that makes up the fundamental law of the state
Term
natural rights
Definition
Rights of all human beings that are ordained by God, discoverable in nature and history, and essential to human progress
Term
Patrick Henry
Definition
Individual who refused to attend the Constitutional Convention because he "smelled a rat"
Term
Declaration of Independence
Definition
A document written in 1776 declaring the colonists' intention to throw off British rule
Term
Articles of Confederation
Definition
The government charter of the states from 1776 until the Constitution of 1787
Term
separation of powers
Definition
A constitutional principle separating the personnel of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government
Term
federalism
Definition
A constitutional principle reserving separate powers to the national and state levels of government
Term
James Madison
Definition
A principal architect of the Constitution who felt that a government powerful enough to encourage virtue in its citizens was too powerful
Term
Bill of Rights
Definition
First ten amendments to the Constitution
Term
enumerated powers
Definition
Those powers that are given to the national government exclusively
Term
Charles A. Beard
Definition
A historian who argued that the Founders were largely motivated by the economic advantage of their class in writing the Constitution
Term
coalition
Definition
An alliance of factions
Term
unalienable
Definition
Based on nature or God
Term
Constitutional Convention
Definition
A meeting of delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 charged with drawing up amendments to the Articles of Confederation
Term
reserved power
Definition
Powers that are given exclusively to the states
Term
Pennsylvania Constitution
Definition
A governing document considered to be highly democratic yet with a tendency toward tyranny as the result of concentrating all powers in one set of hands
Term
Massachusetts Constitution
Definition
A state constitution with clear separation of powers but considered to have produced too weak a government
Term
Shay's Rebellion
Definition
An armed attempt by Revolutionary War veterans to avoid losing their property by preventing the courts in western Massachusetts from meeting
Term
concurrent powers
Definition
Those powers that are shared by both the national and state governments
Term
John Locke
Definition
A British philosopher whose ideas on civil government greatly influenced the Founders
Term
Federalist Papers
Definition
A series of political tracts that explained many of the ideas of the Founders
Term
Virginia Plan
Definition
A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress
Term
Thomas Jefferson
Definition
Author of the Declaration of Independence
Term
Great Compromise
Definition
A constitutional proposal that made membership in one house of Congress proportional to each state's population and membership in the other equal for all states
Term
faction
Definition
A group with a distinct political interest
Term
Constitutional Convention
Definition
A meeting of delegates in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation
Term
checks and balances
Definition
The power of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government to block some acts by the other two branches
Term
republic
Definition
A form of democracy in which leaders and representatives are selected by means of popular competitive elections
Term
coalition
Definition
An alliance between different interest groups or parties to achieve some political goal
Term
inalienable rights
Definition
Rights thought to be based on nature and providence rather than on the preferences of people
Term
amendment (constitutional)
Definition
Change in, or addition to, a constitution
Term
faction
Definition
A group of people sharing a common interest who seek to influence public policy for their collective benefit
Term
judicial review
Definition
The power of the courts to declare acts of the legislature and of the executive unconstitutional and therefor null and void
Term
Bill of Rights
Definition
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
Term
Federalist papers
Definition
A series of eighty-five essays published in New York newspapers to convince New Yorkers to adopt the newly proposed Constitution
Term
Federalists
Definition
Supporters of a stronger central government who advocated ratification of the Constitution and then founded a political party
Term
line-item veto
Definition
The power of an executive to veto some provisions in an appropriations bill while approving others
Term
Antifederalists
Definition
Those who opposed giving as much power to the national government as the Constitution did, favoring instead stronger states' rights
Term
bill of attainder
Definition
A law that would declare a person guilty of a crime without a trial
Term
ex post facto law
Definition
A law that would declare an act criminal after the act was committed
Term
Madisonian view of human nature
Definition
A philosophy holding that accommodating individual self-interest provided a more practical solution to the problem of government than aiming to cultivate virtue
Term
confederation
Definition
An agreement among sovereign states that delegates certain powers to a national government
Term
writ of habeas corpus
Definition
A court order requiring police officials to produce an individual held in custody and show sufficient cause for that person's detention
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